We last caught up with the ukelele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro at our NAMM booth to talk about his new signature ukulele from Kamaka. He blew us away then with his nuanced rendition of “Eleanor Rigby,” and we wanted to learn more about how this unique musician does his thing.

On top of being a nuanced and articulate uke player, it ends up Shimabukuro is a pedal aficionado. He gave us a close look at his current board from the unique perspective of someone who isn't using guitar effects on a guitar. Jake selects pedals that sound best with an amplified ukulele and employs a bypass looper to help keep the uke’s tone organic. Jake even shared a great technique for avoiding feedback with a piezo pickup.